He wore a suit instead of shoulder pads, but Brandon Stokley was having an impact on football once again Tuesday, as he urged state senators to pass a bill putting what he sees as reasonable safeguards on fantasy sports leagues.

Stokley sought to save the games in Colorado, not bury them. Some states have banned the games outright, but Colorado lawmakers are putting controls in place to allow thousands of Coloradans — including Stokley and his 12-year-old son — to play on.

“I love fantasy sports,” he said in an interview after testifying to a Senate Finance Committee, where the bill passed 3-2. “I played fantasy football when I was in middle school. We’ve got over 800,000 Coloradans who play fantasy sports; I think it’s a great thing.

House Democratic leader Crisanta Duran said the goal line of a bill to regulate big-time fantasy sports leagues is making sure the games stay legal and legit.

“This is an effort to make sure the 800,000 Coloradans who play fantasy sports online can continue to do so, but also make sure the games are fair,” the Denver Democrat told a House committee Tuesday afternoon.

Sixty-five percent of likely Colorado voters in next year’s presidential election think federal lands should continue to be managed by the federal government, a survey released Thursday by the Outdoor Industry Association indicated.

The issue has deep roots in Colorado, from last year’s gubernatorial debate when Republican nominee Bob Beauprez floated the idea of the state taking over management of federal public lands, to this year’s legislative session, when Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg proposed a commission to study it, arguing state and local governments could do a better job.

The survey measured voters’ attitudes in Colorado and Nevada, two swing states expected to play big roles in next’s year presidential race.

“Voters in both states rejected that kind of change … whether it was a majority of Republicans, Democrats or independents,” said Lori Weigel, the Denver-based partner with Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the polling.

Saturday night advocates for mental health in Colorado honored the Climb Out of the Darkness Expedition, a group of young mountaineers who summited all 54 of Colorado’s Fourteeners in 10 weeks this summer to raise awareness and reduce the stigma of mental illness.

“At Mental Health America of Colorado, we say yes – we can do better,” Andrew Romanoff, the former Colorado House speaker who has been president and CEO of MHAC since April. “We have to do better. We won’t be content until all Coloradans can access and afford high-quality mental health care – not just in response to a crisis, but before the crisis hits. Or, as we like to say, before stage 4.”

The Climb Out of Darkness Expedition Team is made up of Anthony Reinert, Aaron McDowell, Seth Pooler, Matthew Cranston and Daniel Frauenhoff.

Janet Buckner and her husband, Rep. John Buckner, at one of the Colorado Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson Jackson dinner.s (Provided by Buckner family)

Soon after Rep. John Buckner died, friends talked about his widow, Janet Buckner, taking his seat in the Colorado House. On Wednesday, she made it official.

Janet Buckner is seeking to be appointed to fill the vacancy in House District 40, which her husband has represented since 2013. The vacancy committee will meet on June 25.

“In some ways, it’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever made, but in other ways there was no decision to be made,” she said. “I know this is what John would want. I have to do this for my husband. We love Aurora.”

The couple was married for what she says were “45 glorious years” before he died on May 28 after battling sarcoidosis, a chronic respiratory illness. He missed the last couple of weeks of the 2015 session but told his colleagues he would be back. Rep. Buckner was 67.

Democrats say other candidates who might have been interested in the seat said they would not run if Buckner’s widow wanted the appointment.

The Democrats beat the Republicans by a score of 5-2. Chipping in for the victory was U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder. According to his office, he sacrificed for an RBI in his first-at-bat, got on board on an error the next time and then doubled for an RBI on his third trip to the plate.

President Barack Obama also showed up — in a rare appearance for a sitting president. It’s Washington, so obviously there’s some business involved somehow (the game was the day before a critical vote on trade). But Obama still found time to pose with lawmakers.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock takes a selfie of himself with the entire University of Denver lacrosse team during a rally on campus Tuesday to celebrate the team’s national championship win. (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post)

It was shot Tuesday by The Denver Post’s Helen Richardson and I laughed out loud when I saw it late tonight on the paper’s website. It was paired with a column by the Post’s Benjamin Hochman about the team’s welcome home at DU and Coach Bill Tierney.

“It was just so fun over there at DU,” Hochman wrote. “Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia succinctly summed it up, shouting into the microphone: ‘This is a big deal!’ Mayor Michael Hancock joked that ‘we just hired coach Tierney for the Colorado Rockies.'”

Do you have favorite political pictures? E-mail me about them at lbartels@DenverPost.com

In fact, he made every one of Sam’s games since his son was a 9-year-old playing Little League football, then a standout at Chatfield High School and finally playing five years for the University of Wyoming. That’s pretty impressive when you consider Stratton worked for such Democrats as Senate candidates Ken Salazar and Mark Udall and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson of New Mexico.

But then this year, Stratton missed one game, then another and another — and it’s not even an election year.

When Rep. Angela Williams announced her candidacy for the state Senate, she did it with high-profile endorsers and history on her side.

“Colorado needs smart and pragmatic leadership in the state Capitol as we work to tackle issues that impact the daily lives of the citizens of our great state,” stated Sen. Lucia Guzman, another Denver Democrat, in Williams’ announcement. “We need more people like Angela, and I could not be more hopeful for our next class of state senators knowing that she is running.”

Williams is running for the District 33 seat held by Mike Johnston, who was barred by term limits from running again. No other candidates have jumped in the race yet, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Williams will be a formidable candidate for a newcomer to engage in a heavily Democratic district.

Shannon Boucher 30, and (front row right) Madelin Adames 40, during a flow yoga class at the Samadhi Center for Yoga, founded and owned by Annie Freedom, in downtown Denver on Jan. 26, 2015 (Photo By Joe Amon/The Denver Post)

UPDATE:It’s now the law.

Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to sign into law today a yoga bill that exempts teacher-training studios from state certification.

No public bill-signing ceremony is scheduled but Colorado yogis are planning a big celebration. Since last fall, they signed petitions, wrote their lawmakers, created social media campaigns and hosted events to highlight what they saw as onerous regulations that could have put some of them out of business.

The yoga community and the Colorado Yoga Alliance are hosting an event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Yoga Pod, 1956 Lawrence St., to celebrate the passage of Senate Bill 186. It will kick off with a yoga class at 6 p.m., followed by an open house. The event is free.

The Denver Post in January reported that the “centuries-old practice of yoga has run into the modern practice of regulation, setting up a battle between a Colorado agency and instructors who say the need for state rules is a stretch.”

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.